It’s probably not fair to describe Boise State as a nemesis for the Nevada football team. The Broncos are pretty much a nemesis for everyone.

But there’s no escaping the fact that a once-even rivalry has tilted toward the Broncos since the turn of the century. Boise State has won five straight in the series, and 15 of the last 16 overall — the exception, of course, being the “Mackay Miracle” in 2010, a 34-31 overtime win for the Wolf Pack.

But, as the teams prepare to meet for the 43rd time Saturday night at Mackay Stadium, the Wolf Pack staff and players have embraced the challenge the Broncos represent. Rather than being an insurmountable obstacle, the message around the program is that playing a team such as Boise State should be thought of as a special opportunity.

“They’re a good football team and we’re excited to measure ourselves against them,” Nevada coach Jay Norvell said earlier this week. “That’s why you play; these guys came to school to play these types of games.”

For the Nevada seniors, a chance to play a better game against the Broncos is also on the table. Barring a return match in the Mountain West championship game, this will be it for that group — they will be out of chances to beat Boise State on a football field.

“We always watch the 2010 game; (we know that) Boise is such a big deal to the people around here,” Nevada defensive end Korey Rush said. “It’s a big deal to us. We’ve never beaten Boise in the time that I’ve been here, and that’s something we’d really like to accomplish and a goal that we have.”

Both teams enter the game looking to get things back on track. Nevada is 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Mountain West following a disappointing 21-3 loss to Fresno State, a game in which the defense played its second straight stellar game but the offense — behind backup quarterback Cristian Solano — had trouble sustaining drives.

Boise State, the defending Mountain West champion, is in the unfamiliar position of having lost two of its last three games. The Broncos were stunned at home last week by San Diego State, 19-13, a result that makes the Aztecs the team to beat in the MW — for now. Quarterback Brett Rypien was held to 21-of-42 passing for 170 yards in the loss.

Boise State leads the series with Nevada, 29-13, with the first game being played in 1971. The teams have shared membership in the Big Sky, Big West, WAC and now the Mountain West.